Former NSW Labor powerbroker
Eddie Obeid
faces three new corruption investigations that will cover his links to government officials over an 11-year period.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will begin public hearings on October 28 to ­examine allegations he misused his ­position as a member of parliament to obtain retail leases at Sydney’s Circular Quay, a review of water licences for his Cherrydale Park property in the Bylong Valley, and benefits for Direct Health Solutions, in which his family had a secret interest.

On July 30, ICAC Commissioner
David Ipp
, QC, found that Mr Obeid and his son Moses had corruptly influenced the issue of a coal exploration licence by former mines minister
Ian Macdonald
, which was to produce profits of up to $90 million for the Obeid family involving coal under the Cherrydale farm.

Moses Obeid was also found to have acted corruptly in helping to provide a discounted car for the former NSW Treasurer,
Eric Roozendaal
.

The Obeids’ secret links to Circular Quay leases emerged from a court case by the City of Sydney, which obtained an $11 million judgment against an Obeid family company and against Moses Obeid.

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Eddie Obeid, who has strenuously denied being part of any corrupt dealings, testified during the previous ICAC inquiry that Circular Quay lease­holders had made a large donation to the Labor Party in the late 1990s but that the state government had not honoured what he claimed was an agreement for the leaseholders to be awarded security of tenure.

The Obeids received $28 million in cash from
Travers Duncan
’s Cascade Coal as part payment for their interest in a joint venture for the exploration licence. Cascade was also to pay $13 million for Cherrydale, which Mr Obeid snr bought from Kerry Packer’s former accountant, John Cherry, in late 2008.

Counsel assisting ICAC Geoffrey Watson, SC, tabled emails between Mr Cherry and Mr Eddie Obeid, in which Mr Obeid indicated he would be able to confirm that water rights for the property were not restricted. Mr Cherry expressed alarm at this and asked Mr Obeid not to raise the subject of water rights with government officials.

Direct Health Benefits was set up in April 2005 and won several government contracts. It was owned for much of this time by Equitexx, a company operated by the Obeid family accountant, which in the coal inquiry was found to hold assets for the Obeid family.